Homes Build Hope scales back Latrobe housing project to fit available funding

A local nonprofit is keeping alive its plan for new affordable housing in Latrobe by scaling back the size of the project and pursuing a new source of funding.

City Council this week approved a revised land development plan submitted by Homes Build Hope for a proposed nine-unit housing development on Mary Street.

The organization originally planned to construct twice as many units, at an estimated cost of at least $6 million, along two blocks of Mary Street, near a culvert that directs Unity Run into the Loyalhanna Creek.

According to Executive Director Kristin Zaccaria, Homes Build Hope opted for the more modest project after the Pennsylvania Housing Financing Agency turned down the nonprofit’s request for allocation of tax credits it had intended to sell to help pay for construction.

Now pegged at an estimated cost of $2.1 million, the revised Mary Street project would include three two-story triplex buildings — each with one single-bedroom dwelling, one with two bedrooms and another with three bedrooms.

“We decided we would scale that project back to a smaller amount of units and try to build a product on that property for the money we had available,” Zaccaria said.

She said the nonprofit is working with Westmoreland County officials to obtain funding through Pennsylvania’s HOME Investment Partnership Program.

The three Mary Street buildings are to be spread out over a block and a half of land that was cleared of older blighted housing.

“It actually is working out better, to everybody’s liking,” she said. “Aesthetically, there will be a lot more green space. They’ll be spaced out more and it won’t be such an overpopulated area.”

City Manager Mike Gray said the plan for less dense housing meshes with Latrobe’s desire to better control storm water runoff, in accordance with state mandates.

“It’s great to see that, especially with the green space and storm water … having less impervious surface,” he said.

To provide the buildings curb appeal, Zaccaria said, each is designed with two facades that have the appearance of a front entrance. One facade will be visible from Mary Street and the other, facing the creek, will be visible from a community park on the opposite bank.

“We always try to do some nice landscaping outside the units,” she said. “You want people to be proud of where they live.”

While rent amounts for the Mary Street units have yet to be determined, they will include snow removal and lawn maintenance services. The dwellings will be targeted for tenants who make 50% or less of the median income in the county.

If all goes well, Zaccaria said, a contractor may be selected and ready to begin work at the site as early as late October.

There is a waiting list for those hoping to move into one of a number of other affordable housing sites Homes Build Hope has developed or renovated in the county — including 23 units scattered along Latrobe’s Lloyd Avenue.

To learn more about Homes Build Hope’s available housing, contact its office at 724-838-0752 or visit its Facebook page. Visit affordablehomeswestmoreland.com to find local housing options available through the nonprofit or other organizations.